Jason Scott Lee

Jason Scott Lee (born November 19, 1966) is an American actor and martial artist. He played Mowgli in Disney's 1994 live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book and Bruce Lee in the 1993 martial arts film Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story.

Personal life Lee was born in Los Angeles. He was raised in Hawaii and is of Hawaiian and Chinese descent. He attended school at Pearl City High School.

Career Lee started his acting career with small roles in Born in East L.A. (1987) and Back to the Future Part II (1989). In 1990, he appeared in the television film The Lookalike. In 1992, he played his first leading role in the romantic drama Map of the Human Heart. In 1993, he portrayed Bruce Lee in the biopic Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story.

Lee has trained in Bruce Lee's martial art Jeet Kune Do since portraying Lee and continues to train and became a certified instructor under former Bruce Lee student Jerry Poteet. He is not related to Bruce Lee. In 1994, he starred in Rapa-Nui and as Mowgli in the live-action adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book with Lena Headey and John Cleese. Lee was originally considered for the role of Liu Kang in the 1995 film Mortal Kombat, but Lee turned down the role and was replaced by Robin Shou instead. He was also cast to star in the immigrant epic An American Dream to be filmed by Michael Cimino in 1997.

In 2007, he played Eddie in the sports comedy film Balls of Fury alongside Dan Fogler, in his first theatrically released film since 2002. Lee performed as The King of Siam in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I in a production at the London Palladium in 2000 opposite Elaine Paige. Lee made his operatic debut in the non-singing role of Pasha Selim in Hawaii Opera Theatre's production of Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio at the Blaisdell Concert Hall in Honolulu in February 2009.

In 2020, he played the villain Böri Khan in Disney’s Mulan, a live action remake of the 1998 animated film of the same name. He also joined the cast of the historical drama The Wind & the Reckoning as Koʻolau, a cowboy who took part in a rebellion against soldiers of the recently instated Provisional Government of Hawaii forcing the displacement of leprosy patients to the Kalaupapa Leprosy Colony in Molokaʻi. Film production happened as the COVID-19 pandemic reached its peak in the islands.

In 2021, Lee starred in the Disney+ series Doogie Kameāloha, M.D., a reboot of Doogie Howser, M.D..

Credits Film

Year Film Role Notes 1987 Born in East L.A. PacoFilm debut 1989 Back to the Future Part II Chester "Whitey" Noguera 1991 Ghoulies 3: Ghoulies Go to College Kyle 1992 Map of the Human Heart Avik 1993 Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story Bruce Lee 1994 Rapa-Nui Noro The Jungle Book Mowgli 1997 Murder in Mind Holloway 1998 Tale of the Mummy Riley Soldier Caine 607 2002 Lilo & Stitch David Kawena (voice) 2003 Dracula II: Ascension Uffizi Direct-to-video Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision TEC Agent Ryan Chang 2005 Dracula III: Legacy Uffizi Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch David Kawena (voice) The Prophecy: Forsaken Dylan Nomad Oraz Limited release 2006 Only the Brave Glenn Takase 2007 Balls of Fury Eddie 2008 Dance of the Dragon Cheng 2014 Seventh Son Urag 2016 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny Hades Dai Burn Your Maps Shaman's Assistant Alaska Is a Drag Diego 2019 The Haunted Swordsman The Swordsman (voice) Short 2020 Mulan Böri Khan 2021 The Wind & the Reckoning Ko'olau 2022 Boon Killa 2025 Lilo & Stitch Luau Manager

Television

Year TV series Role Notes 1988 Matlock Lee Tran 2, episode 2: "The Fisherman" 1989 Wolf Chin Season 1, episode 6: "Curtains of Silence" 1990 CBS Schoolbreak Special John Henderson Season 7, episode 4: "American Eyes" The Lookalike John "Charlie" Chan Television movie Vestige of Honor Ha-Kuhn Television movie 1997 The Hunger Craig Yun Season 1, episode 4: "The Secret Shih Tan" 2000 Arabian Nights Aladdin Miniseries 2010–2014 Hawaii Five-0 Detective Kaleo 3 episodes 2021–2023 Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. Benny Kameāloha Main Role

Documentary

Honors and recognition In recognition of Lee's positive impact on the image of Asians in America through his physical, attractive roles, Goldsea, the Asian American magazine website, placed him at Number 7 on its compilation "The 130 Most Inspiring Asian Americans of All Time".